It has taken 17 years for the CBI and the judiciary to give their verdict on the fodder scam. Even though belated, it is a vindication of the people’s protracted struggle against corruption in Bihar and will inspire the ongoing struggle against mega scams and the plunderous corporate-politics nexus.
The conviction of two former Bihar chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad and the JD(U) MP from Jahanabad Jagdish Sharma in the multi-crore fodder scam will serve as a deterrent only if heads roll quickly in all the contemporary mega scams wherein senior central ministers of successive central governments belonging to all-India parties like Congress and BJP or various regional parties stand accused. The country wants to see equally exemplary conviction of all leaders who have been responsible for much greater losses to the national exchequer and plunder of precious national resources.
The CBI investigation into the fodder scam trail had revealed some other powerful political names like Nitish Kumar, Shivanand Tewari and Lallan Singh who have all been mysteriously spared. Law and justice must not be selective and partial.
It is equally important that the law deals similarly with the masterminds behind communal carnages, caste massacres and fake encounters.
Dipankar Bhattacharya
General Secretary,
CPI(ML)(Liberation)
